By Sara Rogers
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The phrase “undivided attention” is becoming extinct. While typing this column I find myself listening to music, conversing with two people via text messages and drinking water through a straw so as not to distract my hands from the keyboard. Welcome to the multi-tasking generation. I’m not ashamed to be a part of this fast-paced, preoccupied and obsessively social age group. In fact, I’m proud.

As technology develops, my generation is at the helm. As information spreads farther faster, my generation has learned to absorb it in the most efficient manner. Unlike my parents, who had to sort through newspapers or books for their information, I can simply click a button on my phone or computer. This instant gratification doesn’t require my full attention, so I can move on or focus partly on something else. Technology has challenged us to condense our thoughts to fit the 140- and 160-character constraints of Twitter and text messaging, catering to those of us who only want the bare minimum. I don’t want to have to read or search for answers. I want the highlights of a story without having to try too hard to find them. The immediacy of news is partnered with the immense inundation of information broadcasted through the web. The combination of the two has allowed my generation to fine-tune the methods with which we acquire information.

If I want to find out about a particular newsworthy event, I won’t sit down and read an entire article on the subject. Instead, I’ll skim the article, picking out only the parts necessary for my understanding. This low-impact method of gathering knowledge allows the multi-tasking generation to succeed. Through years of practicing and perfecting my skimming tactics, I can capably distribute my attention among various mediums without having my brain implode.

While some research claims that multitasking can create distraction and inefficiency, others applaud this cerebral skill, citing it as a way to improve brain function. A 2009 Science study by Patricia Greenfield showed that balancing multimedia can develop “new strengths in visual-spatial intelligence and compensate for new weaknesses in higher-order cognitive processes.” In the ongoing battle judging the merit of breadth against depth, the former prevails in today’s society. Students know a little about a lot of things, rather than a lot about one thing. Multi-tasking does not eliminate in-depth thinking, but allows students to choose what information they wish to investigate further. With the immense amount of data available within the click of a mouse or push of a button on a cell phone, filtering information is essential.

Not only is the rushed nature of American culture encouraging multitasking, but businesses are as well. Apple recently enabled its products to have multiple applications in use at once. Google allows users to check their e-mail, browse blogs, check the weather, watch videos and chat with other users all on one screen. Americans are no longer scared of multitasking; we’re fostering its development.

Certainly multitasking is not appropriate in every situation, like sending a text while driving or updating a Facebook status in the middle of a serious conversation. However, when used appropriately, multitasking can help today’s information-obsessed generation absorb knowledge in the quickest way possible.

Students today are encouraged to stretch themselves to a whole new level of thinness. Piling AP courses, practices, rehearsals and work on top of the already daunting task of being a teenager is working its way towards the status quo. Giving my undivided attention to a single task just isn’t plausible. This doesn’t hinder my efficiency; it allows me to get things done in a timely manner while keeping my sanity in check. It’s unrealistic to assume that multitasking is a placebo to deal with a new technologically advanced impersonal society. Juggling multiple mediums of information simultaneously is a method of adaptation. Life is about survival of the fittest, and the multitasking generation is leading the pack.